Officials rigged up something that looked as if it were borrowed from a middle school gymnasium and placed it in front of the scorer's table, and 24-second clocks were placed on the floor at the corners. An air horn purchased from a sporting goods store as an emergency backup became the official horn.

It all had an effect on the game.... In the second half, the public address announcer started blurting out "10" and "five" during possessions to let the players know the time left on the shot clock. He also counted down "four, three, two ..." on some possessions.

"You don't even hear that," said Washington's Martell Webster, who scored 16 points. "So it's like you kind of find yourself in a scramble, and everybody's running around like a chicken with their head cut off."